Spider Man: Between Heaven and Hell
by angelsoul
Summary: *Movie-Verse*Eight months after the movie ends, Peter and Mary Jane find themselves once again being drawn to one another. Only this time Peter isn’t sure if he can push her away. Chapter 3 added.
1. The Spark

Title: SpiderMan – Between Heaven and Hell

Author: angelsoul

Rating: R (For violence, language and sexuality)

Summary: Eight months after the movie ends, Peter and Mary Jane find themselves once again being drawn to one another. Only this time Peter isn't sure if he can push her away.

Chapter One: The Spark

New York City, April 4th, 2003

****

Mary Jane Watson chewed her food slowly, trying to listen to what Harry was saying as he sat across from her in the Moon dance Diner. Her ears perked up as Harry began speaking about Peter.

"I saw Peter the other day, ya know? He sure has changed; I swear he goes to the gym now or something. He said he's been taking some self defense classes or something like that."

Harry Osborne waved his hand dismissively.

Mary Jane leaned in closer to her friend, "How's he look? Is he doing okay, I mean?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "He looks fine, physically he looks better than ever…"

She noticed the way Harry trailed off.

"And…" she pressed.

Harry shook his head, "It's weird…it's not like before, like he was in high school, the spark in his eyes ya know? That was one of the things I always admired about Peter. He had this spark to him."

_I know all about his spark, Harry. Trust me on that. _

Mary Jane closed her eyes, a brief flash of her and Peter standing so close together with only a little fence keeping them apart.

"It's like the spark died or something…like he's not really himself these days."

Mary Jane nodded sadly, "Yeah…I get that."

_Should I ask him? What if Peter doesn't care anymore? _

She paused for a moment, as if not wanting to ask the next question. Harry noticed her hesitation and smiled a little.

"Yeah, MJ…he asked about you."

Mary Jane slumped in her seat, "I miss him."

Harry stopped chewing on his burger long enough to chuckle.

_What the hell is he laughing at? _

Mary Jane fixed him with a cold stare, causing Harry to raise his arms.

"Relax, MJ…it's just weird because he said the exact same thing."

MJ could have sword she felt her heart stop, she sat up straight and leaned even closer.

_Oh. My. God. He does still care. _

"He did?"

Harry nodded, "Yep, said that he was really missing you, stress on the really part. Dude has it bad for you, MJ. But then, I've always known that."

Mary Jane slapped his hand playfully, "That didn't stop you from making the moves on me, did it now?"

Harry dropped his shoulders in guilt, "I know…look, you and I have already had this talk. Peter is important to me, he's like a brother, even when my father was alive, he was the only one who understood what I was going through, he didn't like me because of who my father was, or how much money we had…he liked me for me."

Mary Jane touched her friend's hand gently, "I know, Harry. I am sorry it didn't work out with us, we were both wrong to even start it."

Harry nodded slowly, "You're right, especially considering that you were pretty much in love with Peter when we started dating."

_How the hell?! _

Mary Jane's eyes widened, "How did you know that? I barely even knew it myself."

Harry grinned, "Elementary my dear, Watson."

At that moment, all hell broke loose outside. Mary Jane and Harry grabbed hold of the table as the ground shook, their plates and glasses of soda easily shaking off their table and crashing to the ground.

The police sirens were next, and the shouting followed closely behind.

Mary Jane clung to Harry's arm as she followed him to the window to peek outside.

_What the hell is that!? _

Mary Jane was at a loss for words; there outside on a sunny April afternoon, was some huge man in a gray suit of armor with a horn on his head pulverizing everything in his way. People were frantically running away, while the cops were fighting through the crows to get closer to the behemoth of a man.

Harry winced as they saw one of the cops smack into the wall outside their window.

"Harry, what is that thing?"

Her friend shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I want to get a closer look, you with me?"

Mary Jane noticed the mischievous look in his eyes, and against her better judgment, she nodded.

"Only to keep you out of trouble Harry."

Harry laughed, "Yeah, right. You think this is just as cool as I do."

The two friends slowly opened the diner's door and stepped out into the sunlight.

Mary Jane nearly screamed as more cops were thrown away from the large man, they were like rag dolls twisting in the wind, their bodies landing at odd angles.

That was when she saw it, out of the corner of her eye, a flash of black and red fly past her and Harry, and she gasped in shock as it slammed into the side of the man, picking him up off his feet and hurtling into a cop car.

_Yes! I was hoping you would show up! _

People gathered on the sidewalk as the figure that knocked down the two-legged rhino, you know, the one that a couple dozen cops couldn't contain, flipped backwards in the air and landed perfectly in a crouch 20-feet away.

The large man moaned and rose slowly to his feet, shaking his head.

He turned to face Spider Man, who had his head cocked slightly to the side, studying the 400-pound monstrosity who was now snarling at him.

Mary Jane gave Spider Man a questioning look.

_He…he changed his colors, black and red. What happened to the blue? _

She felt Harry tense up beside her, and placed a restraining hand on her friends shoulder.

_Dammit, Harry! It's not his fault your father died. _

"Leave it alone, Harry."

Harry looked at her, and for a moment, Mary Jane thought he was going to do something totally stupid and rush Spider Man, and she really didn't want to watch one of her best friends get pummeled by the man who had become her personal hero.

Finally, the intensity left Harry's eyes and he nodded.

Spider Man remained in his crouched position, and Mary Jane couldn't shake the feeling of him looking so sleek and naturally dangerous.

"Hey, Peaches. The circus let you run around free like this all the time?"

Mary Jane quickly noticed that she wasn't the only one who had to stifle a giggle at Spider Man's comment, even Harry, let a hint of a smile appear on his face.

The muffled laughter turned into gasps and shouts of warning, as the beast roared and charged at Spider Man.

****

Peter didn't even move, not once while the man moved forward to crush him like the proverbial bug.

_He sure makes a lot of noise. Dude's as big as a house. Big and stupid, I so love that combination. _

At the last moment, when the shouts and pleas for Spider Man to get out of the monsters ways grew to their loudest, he jumped, easily and cleanly over the beasts head, flipped twice in the air, turning his body back he outstretched his arms and two strands of webbing shot out from the spinnerets located in his wrists.

The webbing caught the man by his backside, causing him to jerk back and fall on his rear.

The people began to cheer and holler, but Mary Jane knew this was far from over. She took a step forward as the monster rose to his feet again and pulled on the webbing that was stuck to him.

With an audible groan, Spider Man was pulled roughly from his perch on the police cruiser, and went sailing through the air, only to be stopped when his chest met the giant fist.

Mary Jane looked away, fighting back the blur of tears that formed in her eyes as Spider Man met the monsters fist and went careening through the air over a police cruiser and into a light pole. The pole buckled against the impact, and fell over backwards on to a few parked cars.

Peter felt the adrenaline rush through his system like a freight train, whatever this was, it was at least twice as strong as him, and could take a lot of abuse.

_Really should have stayed in bed this morning. _

Peter slowly rose to his feet, tossing an errant piece of light post off. His vision cleared, and he saw that the big freak had apparently forgot all about him, and was now terrorizing the people that had gathered on the sidewalk, the blur of red hair made Peter's breath stop in his throat, and his heart clench tightly in his chest.

_Mary Jane. _

The rage built up to an insurmountable level as he leaped at the man, kicking him squarely in the chest, the beast, who was within a foot of grabbing Mary Jane, yelled in pain and flew backwards, across the street and into a brick wall, his large form creating a very define impression in the brick.

Peter turned back to Mary Jane, and immediately noticed two things that utterly confused him, one was that she was clinging to Harry Osborne's arm very tightly, and the other was that she was looking at him so tenderly that he felt his knees begin to turn to jell-o.

Mary Jane dropped her grip on Harry's arm and stepped closer to Spider Man, his condition immediately clouding her judgment as she took in his torn suit, the blood and scratches that dripped from the wounds on his chest.

_What is she doing!? She'll get herself killed! _

Forcing back his emotions, Peter held his arm out.

"Don't Mary Jane, stay there, better yet, get back into the diner."

Mary Jane stopped, her voice cracking with emotion, "But…you're hurt."

His resolve almost broke, "I'm fine, you're the one I'm worried about, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Peter pointed at Harry, "Get her to safety, yourself too."

A flash of annoyance appeared on Harry's face, but it quickly faded as concern for his friend took over.

"Come on, MJ." Harry said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the diner. "The guy is right."

Mary Jane looked back as Harry pulled her into the diner, her eyes watching Spider Man's every move as he and the monster squared off once again. She leaned against the window, her eyes brimming with tears as Spider Man fought the beast toe to toe, his costume being torn away from his chest and shoulders.

Suddenly, she watched in awe as Spiderman reached to the heavens and shot his webbings apparently into thin air, but then decided that wasn't his plan because as the beast charged and rammed into him, both Spider Man and the monster flew straight up into the air, so high that even after running back outside she lost track of them.

Harry came up behind her, "What the hell happened?"

Her lips trembling, Mary Jane shook her head.

"I don't know."

Then they both saw it, the large man falling back towards the ground. Squinting her eyes, Mary Jane could make out Spider Man perched on its chest, pounding away with his fists.

Harry's eyes widened, "Oh my God! MJ! Get back, now!"

_Oh God! Please be okay! _

Mary Jane turned away, her face pushed into Harry's chest as the monster hit the street, correction, went through the street. Small chunks of pavement and dust flew outwards; covering the buildings and parked cars, the earth shook, and Mary Jane clung to Harry as he fought for balance.

After the earth stopped shaking she tore away from Harry and got as close as she could to the impact area. She reached the outer rim when a couple police officers pulled her back.

"Hey! Let me go! Spider Man might need help!" she shouted, the tears now flowing down her cheeks.

_Please be okay! _

That was when the all too familiar thwip sounded came from within the 10-foot hole in the ground. A strand of webbing shot out and took hold of a tall building across from the crater; suddenly Spider Man came flying out of the hole, his suit torn and battered, blood seeping from the scratches that covered his chest and back, even from his lip, as a small piece of his mask was also torn away.

People raised their arms and cheered as Spider Man shot another strand of webbing and came swinging back to the hole as the beast poked his head out, his face covered with soot and blood.

Spider Man brought his feet down into the beasts face with everything he had, its head whipped around like one of those bobble-head toys, blood sprayed out from his mouth, he stood there for a moment, his head swaying, before he finally dropped back into the hole unconscious.

Spider Man landed gracefully on the other side, his nearly bare back to Mary Jane, who immediately noticed a strange looking tattoo that covered the back of his left shoulder.

Peter had to force himself not to fall over with exhaustion. Every single bone in his body ached, which he was glad for at the moment, because the gash that ran diagonal across his chest hurt like a motherfucker. He grunted and slowly limped towards the crater and looked down.

_Looks like he's out for the count. _

That was when the cops surrounded him, their guns pointing at his battered body.

Behind his mask he frowned, "You've got to be kidding me."

They all began shouting at once.

"Keep your hands where we can see them!"

"Don't you move a muscle!"

"You're under arrest!"

Peter sighed and raised his arms in the air slowly and almost casually.

The crowd that had gathered began to yell at the police, shouting obscenities.

Mary Jane was among them, trying to get past the police line that separated her from Spider Man, she turned and looked at the wounded hero who was now facing her, his arms still in the air. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him looking right at her, she smiled at him, her eyes silently asking him if he was okay.

He nodded to her, and the corner of his mask that was missing, exposing the lips that she had kissed those long, eight months ago, in the pouring rain.

The webbing the shot out from his wrists surprised everyone, and faster then almost anyone could see he was flying up and through the air, swinging away from the carnage.

Forgetting everything around her, Mary Jane ran off around the corner and followed him as fast as she possibly could. After a few blocks she saw him swing into an abandoned warehouse.

She quickly raced towards it, her heart pounding in her chest, whether it was from the running or from the completely stupid act of following Spider Man around, she wasn't sure.

Mary Jane through the broken gate open, and dashed for the open door to the right of her. There she was met with a set of stairs that would possibly lead her to the second most important person in her life that she had sorely been missing.

Her legs felt like lead weights when she reached the top of the stairs, but she forced herself to go on, her heart in her throat as she entered an old loading dock, its walls covered with dust and cobwebs.

It was so dark that she nearly missed the huddled figure by the window.

Quietly, almost unsure of what she was doing exactly, she stepped closer to him, her hand reaching out to him.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, MJ."

Mary Jane started, her hand covering her mouth.

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying her best to hide the flow of emotions that were beginning to run through her body.

Spider Man nodded and chuckled, "Yeah, just peachy. If you think getting tossed around like a rag doll by a 500-pound walking zoo reject is my idea of a good time."

She smiled at his ability to find humor in just about everything, "May I sit here?"

He looked up at her, "Like you need to even ask, MJ."

She sat cross-legged beside him, her hand in her lap. She sat there for a few moments and just listened to his breathing; out of the corner of her eye she could see him looking at her.

_Might as well tell him. _

Mary Jane looked at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I've missed you." She whispered.

Peter's heart hadn't stopped racing since the fight, and now that she was here beside him, he doubted that it would stop anytime soon.

"I've missed you too, MJ." His voice dropped to a whisper as well.

She shook her hands, trying to get the feeling back.

"I know this isn't really the best of times, but I was wondering if…maybe you've seen Peter lately."

Spider Man laughed quietly, "Yeah, you could say that. Saw him just this morning."

Mary Jane paused, her mouth opening and closing for a moment.

"How is he?"

Spider Man dropped his head a little, "Missing you."

She smiled at that, the tears now falling freely. "God I miss him so much." She paused again and laughed to herself, "It's amazing how much he has become apart of me, you know?"

Spider Man nodded, "Yeah, I get that."

She turned her body completely to face his, "You know…I never did find out how you two met."

Spider Man looked out the broken window. "I guess you could say that this is where we first met, in a way at least."

Mary Jane raised her brows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Spider Man hesitated.

_Let her in, Peter…just a little…you know you need her in your life. _

He faced her again, and for a second she thought that she could see behind the mask, beyond the barrier that had been raised to separate this obviously warm and caring person from the rest of the world.

"It's quite a story…you sure you want to hear it?"

Mary Jane took hold of his bruised hand and squeezed it gently, "I'm listening."

Peter smiled, reveling in her touch, allowing the spark to once again flow through his body.

"This is the place where I killed the man that murdered his uncle."

****

To Be Continued….

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	2. You Know

Spider Man: Between Heaven and Hell

Chapter Two: You Know…

New York City, April 23rd, 2003

*****

Peter stared at her from across the street, huddled in the corner of the alley, people walking about and around him. Not seeing him, even though he was not in costume, he could still blend in to his surroundings, another neat little perk that was his gift…and his curse.

_The curse aspect is far outweighing the gift part_, he thought to himself bitterly.

Mary Jane wouldn't be able to see him unless he wanted her to, of that much he was sure. Her hair was pulled up into neat bun, with a few stray tendrils falling loosely around her angelically sculpted face. The mere sight of her, even from 20 yards away, caused his heart to increase to nearly double its normal rate. He could already feel the sweat begin to form on his palms as well.

Her pink uniform hugged her curves tightly, and he had to hold back a moan at the heat it ignited in his body.

His intention of coming here was to get to talk to her face to face, without the mask between them. Peter had suspected that Mary Jane might have some suspicions about him being Spider Man, but it was only that, a suspicion, because she had never voiced it to him directly or even subtly, that she knew. He also knew that she was an extremely bright woman, and that he had given her enough clues to hang on to, all of them purposefully of course, he considered a sort of game, a way of showing off.

Peter's suspicions about the extent of her knowledge came back tenfold as he remembered the afternoon they sat and talked in the warehouse where he had killed the man who murdered Uncle Ben.

*****

_"You were here that night?" she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. _

_Spider Man nodded, his hand gently intertwining their fingers. _

_"I saw Peter holding his Uncle's dead body, right there in the middle of the sidewalk, in front of the downtown library. It was horrible." _

_Mary Jane turned her head away, wiping the tears from her face, not wanting to admit that the image of Peter there all alone holding his Uncle as he died, was completely heartbreaking. She couldn't begin to imagine what he must have gone through. _

_Spider Man took a breath and continued, "I followed them to this place." He paused and looked around. "To this day, this place is the living embodiment of my failure." _

_Mary Jane's head snapped up to look at him, her brows drawn in confusion. _

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"I followed the son of a bitch to this spot, MJ." He emphasized by hitting the wall beside the window. "Right here I saw his face, and it was the same man who I had let go not an hour earlier as he robbed the cash cage of a wrestling promoter who had ripped me off." _

_Her breath caught in her throat, her free hand immediately grabbing his. _

_"Oh my God. You can't blame yourself for that! You mustn't blame yourself!" _

_Spider Man looked up at her, the tenderness and hope that shined through in her eyes nearly blinding him. Her undying faith in him was amazing. _

_It didn't reflect in his voice though, as it turned bitter and self-deprecating, "Tell that to Peter…He blames me, everyday he blames me. Everyday I blame myself because of what I am, and what I have become. Everyday I see what I want and even with all the power I have, I can't have it. I can never have it." _

_Mary Jane choked on her sobs as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to her, her eyes closing in contentment as his arms followed suit and wrapped around her waist, his head buried in her hair. _

_"It's okay…let it out." _

_His heartbreaking sobs pushed her over the edge, she cried along with him. He clung to her tightly, and she knew that later she would have bruises, but it didn't matter right now. What mattered was that this man, this hero who had obviously sacrificed nearly everything in his life to keep her and everyone else in this Godforsaken city safe, for once needed her protection as much as she had come to rely on his. _

_"What's her name? This woman you had to let go because of who you are." _

_His chuckle was one of irony as he pulled away from her and slowly rose to his feet, gripping the wall for support. _

_"It's not important anymore. It's a decision that will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will have to live with that." _

_Mary Jane's eyes gazed over his wounded body, her heart breaking once again at the punishment he took to stop that rampaging beast. She stood, their hands still intertwined, she placed her other hand on his bare chest, the blood beginning to dry, a horrible scratch over his heart that still bled. _

_"Does she love you?" she whispered. _

_He nodded, his voice breaking. _

_"Yeah…and I love her…I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I love her. I hope one day, she'll be able to forgive me…to find someone else more deserving to fill the hole in her heart." _

_More tears came to her eyes as he spoke those words, "Don't say that. Maybe she is willing to live with who you are. Did you ever just think about telling her?" _

_His gaze was once again set on her eyes, "Everyday, but I can't and won't be responsible for her death, if anything happened to her it would destroy me. If anyone found out who I am, and used her to get to me, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to keep her safe." _

_"What's her name?" she asked again, praying that she was right. _

_Spider Man raised is arm and shot a strand of webbing through the broken window. He looked at her then, his eyes filled with tears, behind the barrier that was his mask. _

_His voice trembled with emotion, "You know her name…" _

_Then he was gone. _

_She stood there staring off into the sunset, his figure quickly disappearing, his words echoing in her mind, the taste of his kiss in the rain, his voice. _

_"You know who I am…" _

_"Trust me!" _

_"You know her name…" _

_His taste on her lips, as she kissed him in the cemetery, his words as he left her standing there. _

_"I will always be there for you, I will always be there to take care of you. I promise you that." _

_Her fingers rose to touch her lips as the final realization seeped its way through. _

_"Peter…" _

_She choked out his name, the emotion and truth overwhelming her; she sank to the ground, her tears washing away the dust and blood that surrounded her…his blood. _

*****

Mary Jane could feel him, for some reason unknown to her, she could feel Peter's presence all around her.

Leaving the tray of food on the counter, she rushed to the window and looked out into the darkness, people, everywhere, walking along without a care in the world. She ran to another window, the one that looked directly into the alley across the street.

The crystalline eyes were there, glowing in the darkness, staring back at her, the agony and guilt radiated from them like some malevolent storm. Her heart in her throat, she ran to the door and threw it open, carelessly running into the street, her only goal to reach the man in the alley, to see him, feel his arms around her, take comfort in his touch.

She reached the alley, her body trembling with emotion.

"Peter." She whispered.

He was still there, not moving, but still there. From the darkness he watched her, the feeling of wanting to hold her, to kiss her, to make love to her nearly made him double over in agony. She took another step, close, but still so far.

"Don't." he choked out. "Please…"

"Peter…just…please, come here." Her voice breaking, tears cascading down her rose colored cheeks.

"I can't…it's too hard. Just…just listen to what I have to say."

He stepped out of the shadows then, her eyes widening at seeing his handsome face, and lean body once again. She smiled tenderly at him, her desire to rush into his arms overwhelming her. His hair was longer, brown, wistful bangs pushed back behind his ears, his face unshaven, making him look far older than he actually was.

"I wanted…to…umm…to tell you that. Since before I knew what love was…I have loved you. Everyday…for most of our lives, you didn't pay me any attention, and I accepted and understood that."

She sobbed as his words hit home, not only because he had finally said the words she had been longing to hear from him, but because he was speaking the truth. For too long, she ignored him, so much time wasted on Flash, and Harry. So much time wasted on hiding behind her own masks, time that could have been spent being genuinely loved by this wonderful man.

She had to say something, to make him understand how stupid she had been all those years.

"Peter…I'm so sorry…I was blind then."

He smiled sadly, "It's okay, MJ. I know…I understand."

She shook her head defiantly, "No you don't. Peter I was in love with long before I admitted to myself. Long before I told you that day in the cemetery. I have loved you, more than I have ever loved someone, and I will you more than I will ever love anyone else."

Peter's body trembled again, "I feel the same way. But…I can't let you in completely; I don't know how, MJ. If I do…I'm scared. I almost lost you up on that bridge."

Another step, she was getting closer.

"But you didn't, Peter. You saved me…you always save me."

_She knows…dammit…why do you have to be so smart, Mary Jane? Why did I have to be so stupid?_

Reacting to his expression she nodded. 

"Yes…I know, Peter. I think I've always known. You don't have to be worried about that…not anymore." 

Peter shook his head violently, "No!"

He stepped forward, they were only a foot apart now, it would be so easy to wrap her arms around him, and to breath is scent in, to bask in his strength.

"I always have to worry about…everyday I worry about losing you, about seeing you lying there on the ground like Uncle Ben was, not being able to save you, not being able to see your face again…of living this life knowing that you are no longer here with me."

Mary Jane reached out to him then, her hand softly touching his arm.

"Peter…don't shut me out…give us a chance…" she pleaded.

He could feel his resolve breaking, along with his heart. Looking into her eyes, the way they saw right through him, to his soul.

"I want to, Mary Jane…so much that it's killing me…I want you…but I'm scared. What if…?"

She poked him in the chest, hard.

"No! Dammit, Peter. I. Love. You. Okay? All of you, everything about you. I can accept a lot of things, but I will not accept, nor will I ever forgive you for at least not giving us the chance of being together, not when you say you love me too."

She didn't want to be angry with him, for being so stubborn, because she understood his reasoning, why he wanted to keep her at arms length. To protect her, and she loved him even more for wanting to keep her safe. But he had to understand that she wasn't going to give up on him, or them, not after what he had just told her.

She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. Not fighting the tears that streamed down her face, or the way her lips were trembling.

"Well? What's it gonna be, Tiger?"

*****

To Be Continued….

Review please, let me know what you think.


	3. Confessions

Author's Notes: I want to say a big thank you to all the reviewers who took the time and wrote a little something after reading the chapters. I truly appreciate it. I love writing these so that others can enjoy them, and trust me, I can whip these things out.

Angelsoul

Spider Man: Between Heaven and Hell

Chapter Three: Confessions

*****

She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. Not fighting the tears that streamed down her face, or the way her lips were trembling.

"Well? What's it gonna be, Tiger?"

Peter stared at her, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

_Oh, God! Yes, MJ! God, Yes! _

That is what he wanted to say, of course being a total male and losing just about all-coherent capabilities when it comes to speaking to the love of his life, it's not what came out of his mouth.

"Huh?" he muttered.

Mary Jane rolled her eyes affectionately.

"Peter." She began, uncrossing her arms. "I love you. I would very much like to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much I love you, but right now I would settle for dinner and a movie."

She paused, a wicked gleam appearing in her eyes, followed by a sly grin.

"Then maybe we could get on with the heavy make-out sessions, because I have been wanting to do to things…well, and then we could move on to…well you know."

Her face turned bright red and she bit anxiously on her lower lip, hoping that she didn't embarrass him as much as she thought she embarrassed herself.

_God! Could I have sounded more desperate? _Mary Jane thought to herself.

Peter could hear and feel the walls that he had erected around his battered heart begin to tumble and fall away, leaving only his love for this remarkable woman.

Mary Jane nearly lost all the breath in her lungs as she saw the patented; Peter Parker, dimpled grin spread across his face. The darkness in her heart began to lift as her hopes that he she could finally reach through to him had been achieved.

_He can smile at me like that anytime he wants…because Holy God! _

Feeling the heat in her body raise to nearly scorching levels, her eyes involuntarily wandered from his handsome face down to the broad expanse of his chest, his finely sculpted pectorals were easily visible through the thin material of the v-neck, black t-shirt he was wearing.

_Okay, I so need to stop now…_

For some reason she wasn't really up to listening to her brain at the moment as her eyes continued on a downward path, hungrily eyeing his perfect biceps and forearms, right down to his flat, hard stomach.

_Christ, I could wash my clothes on those abs…_

Mary Jane knew that if she allowed her eyes to travel any lower than his lean hips, they wouldn't make it out of this alley, and that it was also a distinct possibility that she would have to run back to the diner for a drool cup.

_Definitely not Puny Parker anymore, God, I think I'm gonna faint…_

Sometime during her silent appraisal of his body, Peter had gathered the courage and closed the distance between them, their bodies' now only mere inches from touching.

Her eyes snapped up to look at him, she gasped at the intensity and passion in his look, his head dipped ever so slowly. Her eyes going from his lips back to his eyes as he slowly came closer.

H_e's going to kiss me…oh my God, dammit, just kiss me Peter…please!_

There lips hovered so closely together, that a strand of hair wouldn't have been able to pass between them.

"I love you, MJ."

His whispered confession was the last coherent thought she processed as his lips clamped down on hers, and everything became a kaleidoscope of colors, followed by emotions that she never knew existed.

Both Heaven and Hell resided in his kiss, pleasure and pain, torment and relief. Never, not even counting their two previous kisses, had she felt so much emotion pass between their lips.

Then everything went to black, as his tongue touched hers, passing over her lips and probing her mouth.

She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She gasped into his mouth, as his hardness pressed against her pelvis, not caring who saw them she pressed further into him, causing him to moan. His hands tangled in her hair, softly kneading the luscious strands of fire that had haunted his dreams for years.

She had no idea how long they embraced each other, their tongues dancing together in a ritual as old as time, but when they pulled away for air, her eyes were dilated and darkened with desire.

_Dear God, can he kiss!_

"Damn…okay, we're going to be doing a whole lot of the kissing, because…wow." She breathed out, shaking her head as if that would help clear her mind.

_That's a big ten-four,_ Peter thought to himself.

Peter nodded, a silly grin spread across his face, "Definitely…because…yeah, what you said…wow."

Mary Jane laughed, "Peter…where did you learn to kiss like that?"

Peter shook his head, hands on his hips. "I have no idea…I think it's…just because it's you…"

Mary Jane barely held back another wave of tears; cupping his cheeks in her hands she kissed him softly.

"I love you so much, Peter."

Peter's smile faltered as the dull and oh so familiar buzzing sensation tore through his mind.

Pulling Mary Jane closer, his head snapped around in all directions for any immediate signs of…

"Well, isn't this just too damn sweet?"

The deep Brooklyn accented voice came from the shadows behind them.

Peter spun around quickly, in the process pushing Mary Jane behind him in a position where she could look over his shoulder, she gasped and tugged tightly at Peter's t-shirt, her heart pounding away in her chest.

_Oh, shit! This guy could have heard everything…_

The man stepped from the shadows of the lowly lit alley, his face rugged and lined with wrinkles, a winter cap resting on his head. His 6-foot frame was impressive alone, adding the 200-pounds that he weighed would have been enough to usually make her wet her self. Of course the fact that he was holding a large revolver, and that it was pointed at them, actually Peter, made her blood run cold.

_No…Please don't do anything stupid, Peter. _

The thug, with his faded flannel jacket, took another few steps, bringing the gun to rest just a few inches from Peter's face.

Peter almost winced as Mary Jane's long, manicured nails dug into the flesh on his arm, her body beginning to tremble in fear.

_Don't hurt him!__ She wanted to scream those words at the top of her lungs, but fear prevented her mouth from making any noise._

"What do you want?" Peter asked, his voice calm and non-threatening.

The man snarled and rolled his eyes, "World peace…what the fuck you think I want man? I want your money and hers…oh and I'll take that pretty little necklace around the bitches neck, the one with the emerald in it."

Mary Jane clamped her hand around her necklace.

"No…" she pleaded, "This belonged to my grandmother…it's all I have left of her."

The man gave her a mock frown, "Aww…that's so sad." The frown was quickly replaced with a toothless grin.

"Now ask me if I care?"

He took one more step and Mary Jane barely held back a gut wrenching sob as the man laid the barrel of his revolver against Peter's forehead.

"The necklace…now or your boyfriend here will end up with his brains in your face."

Mary Jane flinched, "Okay…just…just don't hurt him."

"MJ…don't." Peter said softly. "It's okay." He added as she increased the pressure on his arm.

"But, Peter…please don't…" she begged him.

_God, Peter…be careful. _

She had to trust him, it had to start now. If she was ever going to get used to him being Spider Man, now was the time.

The man's brows rose in confusion, "You have a death wish kid?"

Peter smirked, his eyes seemed to gleam with a knowledge that the other man would never even begin to understand, and then faster then Mary Jane had ever seen anyone move, or actually he moved so fast that she didn't see him move, Peter had his left hand on the man's wrist, crushing the pressure point there, paralyzing his hand. The gun dropped to the ground with a clank that echoed throughout the alley.

"OW! You Son-of-Grrk!!!"

The rest of the man's words were caught off as Peter's other hand wrapped tightly around his throat, lifting him cleanly off the ground. The man's feet dangled there, a good six inches from touching the dirty pavement.

Mary Jane stared at Peter in awe.

_Wow…I really need to get used to Peter being like super-strong…_

"MJ, please pick up the gun." Peter asked her, the unusual calm still in his voice.

Mary Jane nodded, "Sure."

Peter eyes bore into the thugs, his usual innocent expression turned cold and seethed with hatred.

"I know you now…If I ever see you again, it will be worse."

Mary Jane watched in amazement as Peter, without so much as grunting, tossed the man backwards a good 20 feet into a pile of trash and old cardboard boxes. The man quickly crawled to his feet and scampered away like a poodle with its tail between its legs after being bested by a bigger and much meaner, pit bull.

Feeling brave, Mary Jane shouted at the quickly retreating man, "Goes for me too! I don't wanna see you ever again. Jackass!"

Peter raised his eyebrow at her, a smile forming on his lips.

"That's telling him."

Mary Jane grinned, "Damn right…you okay?"

Peter shrugged, "Yeah, I'm good. How about you?"

She smiled as his hand quickly found hers and pulled her against his chest. Her arms immediately wound themselves around his neck.

"Peter, that was amazing…you were amazing." She whispered against his neck.

Peter smiled, chills running down his spine as her breath tickled the skin on his neck.

"No big deal…as long as you're okay. I go through that everyday."

He paused, as if searching for something else to say.

"Of course, I'm usually running around in a mask and a pair of red long-johns, but hey it's all good."

Mary Jane laughed, "Oh God, Peter!" she breathed out between fits of laughter. "You are amazing."

"So are you…amazing I mean. I've always wanted to say that to you. You are the most amazing woman I know, that I will ever know."

Mary Jane raised her head up and kissed him softly, "God, I'm such a sucker for you. You totally have me whipped already and we haven't even had a first date yet."

Peter smiled, "Dinner and a movie?"

Mary Jane nodded, "Yeah…you up for a cheeseburger? Oh crap!"

Peter pulled back, "What? What's wrong?"  
  


Mary Jane looked back at the diner behind them, "I just ran out of there! I didn't tell Enrique what I was doing!"

Peter grimaced, "Uh oh. You wont get into too much trouble will you?"

Mary Jane shrugged, "I don't think so, I'm the only reliable waitress he has. He can't really afford to lose me."

Peter nodded, "Okay. Lets do this." He paused. "When does your shift end?"

Mary Jane looked down at her watch and frowned, "In three hours, which would be at 11 o'clock. Dammit!"

Peter pushed her hair away from her eyes, "Shh…it's ok. I'll swing by and pick you up then. We can go back to my place and watch some movies and eat Chinese. Umm…Chinese is still your favorite right?"

Mary Jane stared at him, "Wow…how did you know that?"

Peter poked himself in the chest while puffing it out, "Super-hero stalker, remember?"

She giggled, "Right…you've been spying on me. You've seen that little pink teddy I wear to bed haven't you?"

Peter's face turned red, "What? No…I…would never, you know…do that."

Mary Jane kissed him again, "Relax, Tiger. It's all good, remember? Pick me at 11. I love you."

"I love you too." Peter called after her, watching her lithe figure race across the street and back into the diner.

He smiled to himself.

_We have a date…a date, heh…oh God…a date…crap…what am I gonna wear?_

To Be Continued….

*****


End file.
